How do you want the Narnia Netflix series to be made?

There are so many pros and cons to having a live action movie and so many pros and cons to an animated movie. Which direction do you think this new series will go? And which would you prefer?

While I personally prefer live action, I only prefer it if it's well done. And I'm not sure that I've seen anything on Netflix that has exceptional CGI. Even though it's 10-12 years later, I don't think CGI has improved that much and I can't imagine this series pulling out all the stops to get something just as good or better than the Walden series.

So in this case, I would not be disappointed at all if they chose to go the animated route. I think I've mentioned before that it's a dream of mine to have it done by Cartoon Saloon. (Go watch 'Secret of Kells' or 'Song of the Sea'.... or if you have littles, 'Puffin Rock' is fantastic!)

Another huge pro to animated is the shifting ages of the Earthling children relative to the ages of the Narnians is suddenly a non-issue.

It's definitely a dream to see Narnia animated someday, but I'd prefer live action right now. That said, fk, you have a great point about the CGI not being up to par in a Netflix production, and if that's the case, I'd definitely prefer something animated. But I'm hoping that between creativity and adequate funding, that won't be necessary.

While I am a little concerned about whether Narnia can be done on a Netflix budget, I undoubtedly want it to be live-action.

Personally I prefer live-action over animation in general. And with Narnia in particular, half the reason I would even want a screen adaptation in the first place is to see the story brought to life and made into a real, tangible, three dimensional world. That's one of the things I think the Walden films got right. And not to take anything away from animation as an art form, but I just don't think you can really accomplish that reality through animation.

I like both ideas! I kind of default to live action for Narnia since that's what I've always seen, but animated would probably be a good idea since Narnia is VERY MUCH a fantasy, and if live action would require a LOT of CGI (My first thought is of MN, when Aslan literally creates Narnia, but it would need it a lot in general), I'm not entirely sure how well Netflix could pull off something that would need so much CGI

While animation is certainly a fascinating artform (especially stop motion), I feel that the fantastical creatures and images of Narnia would pack less punch in animation than they would in a live action setting. After all, everything in an animated series or movie is a special effect.

It's true though that Netflix probably wouldn't be able to do those things really well with a live action series (unless maybe they gutted everything else and we don't want that.) So it probably must be animation. This makes me feel more and more like a Netflix series can never be my ideal Narnia adaptation. And since it means there won't be any other Narnia adaptation for quite some time, it's hard for me to feel good about it.

For better or worse-for who knows what may unfold from a chrysalis?-hope was left behind.-The God Beneath the Sea by Leon Garfield & Edward Blishen

narnia fan 7 wrote:Personally I prefer live-action over animation in general. And with Narnia in particular, half the reason I would even want a screen adaptation in the first place is to see the story brought to life and made into a real, tangible, three dimensional world. That's one of the things I think the Walden films got right. And not to take anything away from animation as an art form, but I just don't think you can really accomplish that reality through animation.

I'm totally here with you. As far as Netflix's capability of pulling off CGI elements, I'm not terribly worried. Lost In Space was beautiful (nominated for an Emmy in their special effects). I know that's different from a CG lion and beavers, but Netflix is growing. And I would hope they rely on practical effects and makeup when possible, as well.

Also, I can't take animated films as seriously as live action. Sure, I cried in Toy Story 3, I love Lilo and Stitch, and I'm highly anticipating Wreck it Ralph 2. But overall these are fun movies and the medium suits these stories. But I love the source material of Narnia too much to present it in medium I feel won't do it justice or reduce the sense of magic and wonder. Animated films don't wow me nearly as much or as continuously with their 'special effects'.

I wouldn't be interested in an animated series, to be honest. Not for myself at least. Maybe show the kids when they're old enough. I'm not saying an animated version couldn't be beautifully done but I want to be able to immerse myself in the world and an animated film would always have that "pretend" feel to it. There are rare examples of animated films feeling like a regular film (the first Incredibles comes to mind). I want Narnia to come to life and an animated film would feel like a barrier between myself and Narnia.

It is a children's story so this grumpy old lady's opinion doesn't really matter I suppose.

EDITED to ADD: I don't understand the hand-wringing about Netflix being unable to do a high-production live action show. Their studio has been established for awhile now and they're getting big names to do their Netflix Original works. Also, Netflix is my only TV (no cable or satellite for us) so I've seen quite a few of their stuff. Their production on their "big money" efforts are top notch. I don't always agree with the ideologies or morals they push but it's hard to argue with the quality.

Sounds like a live action version has been confirmed! I know that's what most people prefer, and honestly, that includes myself. Of course the biggest concern for me is the quality of special effects. I don't feel like they've improved THAT much since LWW, and if anything, I think they've regressed a bit due to the speed in which movies are released these days.

fantasia_kitty wrote:Of course the biggest concern for me is the quality of special effects. I don't feel like they've improved THAT much since LWW, and if anything, I think they've regressed a bit due to the speed in which movies are released these days.

I hear you, but it also depends on who is behind the wheel. DC’s special effects haven’t been impressive because of the reason you mentioned. But there a plenty of movies and shows that have jaw-dropping SFX, too. I share your concern, but not because SFX have regressed, but because some people are just strait up lazy with them XD

But there’s this to consider: one reason Narnia hadn’t been approved to be adapted to film for many years is because Gresham didn’t think technology was ready to do it justice. My hope is that his involvement would ensure they find someone who is willing to put in the time, sweat, and tears to make Narnia come to life on the way it deserves. I don’t know if that’s a realistic expectation, but it gives me some hope all the same.

Monty Jose wrote: I share your concern, but not because SFX have regressed, but because some people are just strait up lazy with them

Well, the result is the same though.

I have a good example here. It's the trailer for Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle. And it happens to have Netflix's logo, a lot of big names (like half of the cast is from Lord of the Rings LOL (slight sarcasm)) and I think it looks like decent movie.... except for the CGI animals. I went back and watched the LWW trailer tonight and I STILL think that the animals in there from 15ish years ago look better than the ones in Mowgli. (If I were to put a finger on it, I think the ones in Mowgli have made the expressions and features too human.) Anyways, whatever it is, it is my biggest concern about a live action movie. I get distracted when the different mediums don't mesh.

But there’s this to consider: one reason Narnia hadn’t been approved to be adapted to film for many years is because Gresham didn’t think technology was ready to do it justice.

In this area, I think it's more up to the art department and the director. One of the biggest pluses with Andrew Adamson is that he came from a special effects background, and it showed.

coracle wrote:One reason is that animations mostly use famous adult actors' voices.

Do you mean for the child characters? Because even LWW had some pretty heavy hitters for everything BUT the child actors. But you're right, I, along with most other movie fans will agree, Will M., Anna, Skandar, Georgie, and Will P. were phenomenal and absolutely made those movies. I hope we get equally stunning child actors and actresses this time around.

I know I am very late to the party here since live action has already been announced, but I thought I'd throw my apparently unpopular opinion into the ring anyways. Many of the concerns expressed here seem to compare the stereotypical animated movie to the ideal Narnia live action movie. Frankly, I'm doing the opposite. I think the fact that the Walden movies were live action did more harm than good - they felt pressured to be more "grown up" and dramatic, to be a teen epic fantasy instead of a children's adventure story.

I think animation has a lot of inherent advantages over live action. The technical limitations are an obvious one - imagine seeing dryads which look just as real as the humans around them, no CGI barrier at all. As fantasia_kitty already pointed out, there's also the advantage that the children aging during production wouldn't be as much of a barrier.

Also, an animated Narnia would give it distance from other projects such as... oh, say, Amazon's LOTR project. Making it animated would, whether this makes any sense or not, put it in another category in most people's minds. Frankly, the farther we can get Narnia away from products like Stranger Things, Harry Potter, or The Hunger Games, the better - not that I have any problem with any of those properties, I just don't think they're anything like Narnia other than being fantastic with young protagonists, and I want to avoid seeming inevitable comparisons.

As for whether or not making it animated would've made Narnia seem too childish... well, Narnia is a series of children's stories. The Prince of Egypt, The Iron Giant, and Avatar: The Last Airbender are all animated movies/shows I enjoyed as a child (technically I was a teen for the last one), and love even more as an adult. And, the same is true for Narnia.

Okay, that was a bit of a ramble. Truth be told, the fact that the adaptations will be live action was a slight disappointment to me, but it wasn't that big of a surprise nor was it earth shattering. I would like an animated Narnia, but at this point, I'll live with what I can get.

N-Web sis of stardf, _Rillian_, & jerendaProud to be Sirya the Madcap Siren

I kind of agree with FantasiaKitty that the computer animation in modern movies and shows sometimes looks distractingly shiny. It seems to be kind of a trend. I guess the first couple of Narnia movies were made at right time when people wanted to make them look solid. It's sad to think that we won't get anymore more Narnia adaptations like that.

But I'd rather have an adaptation where some characters (and backgrounds) look too bright and shiny than one in which everything looks too bright and shiny. That's what a completely animated adaptation would be.

For better or worse-for who knows what may unfold from a chrysalis?-hope was left behind.-The God Beneath the Sea by Leon Garfield & Edward Blishen

If they had gone the animated route, I would feel like everyone would say “this is just for kids”. Lewis wrote the books to be accessible to all ages. I’m convinced that a well-balanced live action adaptation is probably the best way to hopefully do the same.